Methods and devices such as furnaces for heating materials have existed for thousands of years. With the increasing sophistication of electronics and other manufactured products and materials that can withstand extreme environments, has come a need for heating materials to higher and higher temperatures for processing or creating these materials such as metal alloys. For example, modern electric arc furnaces can heat their contents to 1800° C. and higher. However, these furnaces require continuous cooling for operation and extra equipment to heat their contents uniformly. Furthermore, there is considerable wear on the electrodes, which require regular replacement.
Other material processing methods require temperatures that are much higher. While plasma arc furnaces can achieve high temperatures, they are costly to build and operate. They require cooling like electric arc furnaces and a carrier gas for operation, both of which reduce their energy efficiency. Furthermore, the localized nature of the plasma arc makes uniform heating difficult as well.
Therefore, there remains a need for a furnace design that can heat the materials contained therein uniformly and efficiently.